Emergency Departments at Horizon’s regional hospitals are extremely short staffed this weekend and priority will be given to trauma and critical care patients. Patients with non-urgent medical issues may experience long wait times.

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Specialized care for people who identify as a sexual or gender minority (2SLGBTQIA+)

Horizon Health Network’s team members work with patients, clients, families and each other to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. The acronym 2SLGBTQIA+ stands for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual.

This section of our website provides safe and easy navigation through the sometimes confusing path in the health system to being your authentic self – a hub for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and their families to find information, resources, and community connections in New Brunswick.

Horizon understands how difficult the path to becoming your true self is, and how different the path is for each person. Our goal is to provide the information needed to make this journey a bit easier.

We welcome your feedback. If you have concerns or compliments about your care, please contact our Patient Representative Services.

What is gender dysphoria?

Gender dysphoria is what you experience when your biological sex does not match your gender identity.

What are gender affirming hormones?

Gender affirming hormones are used in hormone therapy (often called hormone replacement therapy or HRT) to produce secondary sex characteristics such as hair growth or breast development.

Information on hormone therapy:

How do I access hormones through my primary care provider, family doctor (GP) or nurse practitioner (NP)?

The first steps for accessing hormones is to have a discussion with your primary care provider. If your family doctor or nurse practitioner feels you are a candidate for HRT, they can initiate hormone therapy or refer you to an endocrinologist which is a specialist in hormonal conditions. The wait time to see an endocrinologist in New Brunswick is about a year.

Most physicians (including endocrinologists) and NPs require a “readiness letter” from a mental health care provider with training in World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards before proceeding with hormone therapy.

How do I access HRT through a mental health specialist?

If you do not currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, or do not feel comfortable discussing HRT with them, there is another option. You can obtain the “readiness letter,” as mentioned above, then contact your local Sexual Health clinic. The clinic’s nurse practitioner should be able to refer to an endocrinologist, or initiate treatment themselves.

A list of community mental health resources can be found here: Community Mental Health Resources in New Brunswick (gnb.ca)